Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: rob on February 20, 2010, 12:17:01 AM
-
I'm just putting together another tele parts caster, i've been happy using the Allparts mini Humbucker but fancied something from another maker. I don't see a mini hum in the shop(or am i looking in the wrong place) so which full size humbucker would give me something along these lines or even sweeter?.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ODh9_ab8pc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ODh9_ab8pc)
Thanks
Rob :)
-
I would think that a Stormy Monday would meet your needs.
-
Hello and welcome ! :)
Now that's my cup of tea ; lovely sound and playing. Proof positive of why the Telecaster is the solid bodied guitar of Jazzers.
As one who owns a few of the clearer, vintage B.K.P. ; my observations are as follows :
I seem to be hearing a more pronounced mid range and a touch more thickness on the top in that sound, than Alnico AIV or even Alnico II Mondays have sounded in my Archtop, or Les Paul. They did get more like that in my all Mahogany S.G. though. The Stormy Mondays are very nice, open - and sweet ; but the E.Q of them is relatively flat / even across the range.
The Missisippi queens can sound simultaneously wonderfully 'chewy' and clear - but may not yield quite as much fine detail when fingerpicking.
The Manhattan ( Not on the B.K.P product page, but are made upon request ) is my favourite B.K.P for thicker,woody, but detailed sweetness. They are B.K.P's take on a 1950s Jazz 'P90' type pickup, in a humbucker size.
In any case, it will depend greatly on what woods, and what amplifier you are using them with.
My assumption would be a milder 'Mule' - having a lovely subtle mid range hump. The AIV type Mules are in my Les Paul, and will remain there ! By 'milder' - I am thinking of using an AIII magnet , instead of the traditional Alnico IV. The Manhattans use AIII magnets, and they are magic at balancing just enough thickness, without getting 'pushy' .
As always, remind us of your guitar woods and rig e.t.c. ( especially if our resident Luthiers are viewing ! ) . If in doubt, contact Tim at B.K.P .
Although I have placed the pickups I am about to re-iterate in a pair of Hollow / Archtop Jazzers - you may want to check out my sound clips for the Manhattan , and subsequently both the Alnico II and Alnico IV Stormy Mondays in the 'Players' section. I'm not advertising my clips :lol: - but you will at least hear the difference between the 3 most obvious candidates.
I have no direct experience of an AIII Mule , but can imagine the character my AIV's would assume with a softer magnet. As always, I hope as many people as possible 'chip in' . Just to re-iterate - if in doubt, Tim Is the man !
-
Fab clip - great sound there (welcome to the forum)
I do like mini humbuckers and long term I hope BKP will offer them - Firebirds too!
For ultra clarity I would suggest an alnico 3 magnet mule or stormy monday
I find that the riff raff has more clarity than the stormy monday or mule although it can be a little pokey due to the Alnico 5 magnet
Again I do like the Mississippi Queen - although it has a "chewy " P90 texture - but sounds great for jazz
The Manhattan is definitely an option - with or without the art deco cover - more clarity than the MQ
-
What is the meaning of "chewy"? :?
-
What is the meaning of "chewy"? :?
Hiya :)
Rather confusingly, we are using a physical sensaion - to describe a sound quality. 'Chewy' is the sensation of "chewing" on bubble gum or toffee / nougat in your mouth. The quality being of something thickly textured, but malleable. In the case of M.Qs, you hit the note, which at first only seems 'clear' - but as you continue to play, there is a quality of the note(s) also being thick and 'oily'. The clarity never diminshes, but a lovely underlying fatness is apparent.
Although this clip does not contain M.Q type pickups, this is the sound I got with M.Qs in a 335 copy :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiHPTigXoRE
Hope that makes some sense / helps . :)
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiHPTigXoRE
Looks like I should listen more carefully to Mr Larry Carlton - very fine bluesy stuff here.
-
I have no useful suggestion to make, but I really enjoyed that YouTube clip, Rob. Lovely tone.
My Tele with a Lollar Firebird pickup could probably do something similar, if I wasn't so incompetent.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiHPTigXoRE
Looks like I should listen more carefully to Mr Larry Carlton - very fine bluesy stuff here.
Glad you liked it BigB ! I am a bit biased, because he is a later day hero of mine - and a nice guy. I bought his interactive DVD CD/Rom '335 Blues' teaching package a couple of years back - and his ideas on phrasing and solo development are like watching a 'close up ' card trick. Deceptively simple, musically mature, but devastatingly effective. The You Tube version of 'Night Sweats' is great too, a talented and enthusiastic outing for his 'Sapphire Blues Band'. The Album of the same name is a great listen. :D
Tone wise, he usually uses the bridge pickup, but rolls the tone control down as low as 3. A great deal of right hand damping too. That way, he slowly 'opens up the throttle' by releasing his damping and digging in when the storm hits ... 8) His Amp is usually set on the edge, so it sounds clean on soft to moderate picked notes, then breaks up quickly with harder picking. He's the man !
-
Thanks Derek, this is just a awesome guitar tone!! :D
-
Hey, thanks for the comments......
The new Tele will have an Alder body, just like the one i'm using in the clip, i purchased 2 bodies at the same time a few years back. The Manhatten pickup sounds interesting, i was trying my tele custom 72 earlier and the neck humbucker on that one gives a sweet tone but the mini seems to have a bit more clarity, i think the mini has Alinco 5 magnets. I'm an electronics engineer by trade and was considering building another valve amp with a 15" speaker in it. I'm not really a jazz player i just play at that style but play more fingerstyle melody type of stuff along with much country picking.
Another pickup i've consdered is a Charlie Christian type, only trouble is they are single coil and the hum pickup scares me a little, although i think you can now get a C.C. Humbucker 8)
So many choices :o its a shame BK don't make a mini humbucker.
Thanks again...
Rob :D
-
You could always get another manufacturer's mini rewound by BKP if you want.
-
Fourth Feline sorry but i couldn't seem to get your clips to play, they seem pretty large files. Not sure if its just my old internet computer, but i'll try some more.
Thanks
Rob :D
-
Fourth Feline sorry but i couldn't seem to get your clips to play, they seem pretty large files. Not sure if its just my old internet computer, but i'll try some more.
Thanks
Rob :D
No problem , in fact you have saved yourself a lot of pain ... :lol: I have problems getting myself to play properly too !
:)
-
I can't give any advice pickup-wise, but I just want to say the clips were great. Rob's tone and playing was great and I'm more than a little envious. I'm a big fan of Larry Carlton, one of the most adept, tasteful and understated players on the planet. I've seen him twice and was suitably blown away.
Here's a nice little clip of him up close.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlUf1ppoSG4
-
I can't give any advice pickup-wise, but I just want to say the clips were great. Rob's tone and playing was great and I'm more than a little envious. I'm a big fan of Larry Carlton, one of the most adept, tasteful and understated players on the planet. I've seen him twice and was suitably blown away.
Here's a nice little clip of him up close.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlUf1ppoSG4
Sorry for the Hi-jack Rob ; but I just wanted to thank Choucas for posting that clip. It reminded me of the occasion that I recommended Larry to a teenage guitar player . He was not convinced ; saying somewhat dismissively :
" But he's hardly playing anything " .... PDT_038
Larry was in London last year, giving a guitar clinic . It would have been nice to meet him ( We're not worthy ! ) and ask him to sign anything ! Long live Larry . :D
-
Any sweet mini humbuckers available from BKP yet?
Regards
Rob :D
-
Any sweet mini humbuckers available from BKP yet?
Regards
Rob :D
NO!
-
I like that clip alot!
A Mule-neck would get you on the track, especially when you work the toneknob.
-
Any sweet mini humbuckers available from BKP yet?
Still not, and now I have more experience with mini-hbs I highly regret it :-/